Latest news with #SteamboatLegacyScholarshipAct
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'We should all be mindful': LCSD1 considers fiscal impacts of legislative session
CHEYENNE – Laramie County School District 1 officials are keeping a close watch on revenue streams after significant property tax relief and expansion of a school voucher program were signed into law earlier this month. Property taxes directly fund local school districts, with a portion of these taxes flowing into the state's School Foundation Program account. The state pulls money from this account to fund inflationary costs of public school funding through the K-12 public school block grant. With four major property tax relief programs passed last year, and a historical property tax cut signed into law earlier this month, revenue streams into the SFP are expected to take a direct hit. Gov. Mark Gordon recently signed Senate File 69, which provides a 25% property tax exemption on the first $1 million of a single-family home's fair market value. The bill does not have an end date, nor does it include any backfill from the state. Laramie County School District 1 Finance Director Jed Cicarelli said SF 69 will hurt the school district's ability to collect local taxes for funding operations. Decreased local revenue means a heavier reliance on the state for school funding, he said. 'As the local tax collections decrease, the pressure on (the SFP) will increase, because the state will have to make up those entitlement payments,' Cicarelli told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. 'But it also means there's less revenue coming into that account. … So you're kind of hitting it on both sides of the equation.' House Bill 199, "Steamboat Legacy Scholarship Act," is another indirect factor to the equation. HB 199 expands eligibility for Wyoming's Education Savings Account (ESA) program by removing the income-based requirement for grades K-12 and increasing the per-child, per-year amount from $6,000 to $7,000. This program will cost the state an estimated $44.3 million per year out of the SFP starting in 2026, according to the Legislative Service Office. 'Both pieces of legislation have kind of the same effect on … that increased demand on the School Foundation Account,' Cicarelli said. 'We should all be mindful of how that does impact our local governments.' On a positive note, however, Cicarelli said Wyoming schools still have a state entitlement that ensures adequate funding. And a recent decision from a state district court judge in Laramie County upped the ante on that entitlement, after he found Wyoming has unconstitutionally underfunded its public schools. The decision was released toward the end of the legislative session, and Wyoming lawmakers wasted no time in restoring the full $66.3 million external cost adjustment through a school recalibration House bill. Declining student enrollment Wyoming's largest school district has lost around 1,000 students since the pandemic, and Cicarelli said lower student enrollment reduces state funding to the school district. LCSD1 was originally estimated to receive an extra $9.3 million in funding from the state this year. However, Cicarelli said the decline in student enrollment is not reflected in the $9.3 million cost adjustment, and district enrollment numbers fell by another 129 students last fall. He estimated the lower enrollment would cost the district $3.3 million in state funds. Revenue projections for LCSD1 are also down by $1.4 million, or half a percentage point, Cicarelli told school board members Monday night. He later told the WTE this decline is not a significant concern, and better estimations will be available in the final quarter of the year. The passage of Senate File 73 also dips into school district funding, since it now requires the district's central office to allocate a portion of its revenue to district-approved and state-approved charter schools. 'That money will come out of our funding and go to those (three charter) schools,' Cicarelli said. However, it has not yet been determined what these fiscal impacts will be. Multiple other bills passed by the Legislature were also discussed Monday night, with many of them expected to have some fiscal impact to the school district. Among those was HB 172, a bill that repeals a majority of gun-free zones throughout the state, including in public schools. Cicarelli said the bill could affect costs for insurance, staff training and lock boxes, but the significance of those costs has yet to be determined.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wyoming Gov. Calls Universal School Voucher Bill a ‘Remarkable Achievement'
This article was originally published in WyoFile. Gov. Mark Gordon lauded a controversial universal school voucher bill Tuesday morning before signing it into law hours later. House Bill 199, 'Steamboat Legacy Scholarship Act,' will represent a significant expansion of school choice in the state, offering families $7,000 per child annually for K-12 non-public-school costs like tuition or tutoring. The scholarship will also offer money for pre-K costs, but only to income-qualified families who are at or below 250% of the federal poverty level. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter The legislation has sparked a deluge of constituent feedback, according to lawmakers, both from supporters of school choice and from critics who call the measure an unconstitutional bill that will erode the quality of public education in the state. Gordon had himself partially vetoed a similar bill last year, citing constitutional concerns. However, he lauded this version as a 'remarkable achievement for Wyoming.' 'I'm very excited that we're not only going to be able to expand K-12 choices to be accompanied by careful oversight and … ensure that all families have access to the best educational options,' Gordon said, 'but as we pursue these opportunities, I want to make sure that we uphold the strength of Wyoming's public schools.' The law will transform and expand an existing state education savings account program that gives public money to income-qualified families to help them pay for pre-K programs, homeschooling costs or private school tuition. The education savings account program was passed last year and began accepting applicants in January. House Bill 199 sponsor Rep. Ocean Andrew, R-Laramie, called the 2024 ESA program much too narrow. His new bill proposed to offer up to $7,000 per student regardless of a family's economic needs. Along with making the program universal, in its original form, the bill dropped: the preschool component, a requirement that participating students take statewide assessments or similar nationwide tests and a requirement that providers be certified by the Department of Education. The bill has been transformed substantially as it travelled through the Legislature; some 26 amendments were brought, including 11 that passed. Along with changing the name from the Wyoming Freedom Scholarship Act, the final version reinstated the assessment requirements, the provider certification and the inclusion of pre-K, though families have to show income need to qualify for that portion. It spurred much debate as it traveled through the body, triggering discussion on the state of public education in Wyoming, the constitutionality of the program and the importance of early childhood education. Many lawmakers asked what the rush is, given that Wyoming's existing ESA program is only two months old. Those who say the new law is unconstitutional cite Article 7, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution, which reads: 'Nor shall any portion of any public school fund ever be used to support or assist any private school, or any school, academy, seminary, college or other institution of learning controlled by any church or sectarian organization or religious denomination whatsoever.' When Gordon partially vetoed the education savings account bill last year, he pointed specifically to constitutional concerns when he narrowed eligibility to families at or below 150% of the federal poverty level. That referenced the constitutional language that prohibits the state from giving money to individuals 'except for the necessary support of the poor.' On Tuesday, he said he's taken the last year to consider the issue, 'and I realize that that will be sort of handled by our courts' if the question is asked. 'In the meantime, I think it's important to remember that we have all been working to try to expand school choice, and this gives that opportunity for parents.' This comes less than a week after a judge ruled in favor of the Wyoming Education Association and eight school districts in a court case that's anticipated to have major implications for the state. Laramie County District Court Judge Peter Froelicher ruled the Wyoming Legislature has been unconstitutionally underfunding the state's public schools and ordered the state to fix that. House Bill 199 drew loads of attention — both from local advocacy groups vowing to fight it and from out-of-state groups lobbying for its passage. President Donald Trump even weighed in when he gave kudos to Senate President Bo Biteman for helping to advance the legislation. 'This would be an incredible Victory for Wyoming students and families,' Trump wrote on Truth Social while the measure was still awaiting Senate votes. 'Every Member of the Wyoming Senate should vote for HB 199. I will be watching!' In Wyoming, the hard-right House Freedom Caucus celebrated the signing of the bill, crediting Rep. Andrew for its success. 'Finally, we can say that in Wyoming, we support students, not systems,' a Wyoming Freedom Caucus Facebook post read. Many in the detractor camp, meanwhile, decried Gordon's action. 'Particularly in light of the extraordinary opposition to the voucher program by the majority of Wyoming's residents, we are disappointed by Gov. Gordon's decision to sign HB199 into law,' the Wyoming Education Association said in a statement. The association also questioned the decision's wisdom following so closely on the heels of the strongly worded ruling. 'The district court's ruling from only days ago confirmed that the state is not funding public education to the level as it is required, and the choice to take taxpayer dollars to support a voucher program is a curiously poor decision,' the WEA said. The organization warned that similar laws in other states have proven these types of programs to be vulnerable to waste, fraud and abuse and ineffective in improving student performance. 'Unconstitutional universal voucher programs serve as a taxpayer-funded welfare handout to wealthy families whose communities have access to such schools and whose students already attend private schools,' the WEA said. During his press conference Tuesday, Gordon characterized the ESA bill passed last year as a generic program. 'I know it's a big national agenda item,' he said of school choice. 'But it's important to remember that this is Wyoming's way of doing it. This was created and crafted by people here in Wyoming, not somebody from out of state … and it really meets the needs specifically of Wyoming.' Reporter Maggie Mullen contributed to this article. This story was originally published at WyoFile
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wyoming Gov. Calls Universal School Voucher Bill a ‘Remarkable Achievement'
This article was originally published in WyoFile. Gov. Mark Gordon lauded a controversial universal school voucher bill Tuesday morning before signing it into law hours later. House Bill 199, 'Steamboat Legacy Scholarship Act,' will represent a significant expansion of school choice in the state, offering families $7,000 per child annually for K-12 non-public-school costs like tuition or tutoring. The scholarship will also offer money for pre-K costs, but only to income-qualified families who are at or below 250% of the federal poverty level. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter The legislation has sparked a deluge of constituent feedback, according to lawmakers, both from supporters of school choice and from critics who call the measure an unconstitutional bill that will erode the quality of public education in the state. Gordon had himself partially vetoed a similar bill last year, citing constitutional concerns. However, he lauded this version as a 'remarkable achievement for Wyoming.' 'I'm very excited that we're not only going to be able to expand K-12 choices to be accompanied by careful oversight and … ensure that all families have access to the best educational options,' Gordon said, 'but as we pursue these opportunities, I want to make sure that we uphold the strength of Wyoming's public schools.' The law will transform and expand an existing state education savings account program that gives public money to income-qualified families to help them pay for pre-K programs, homeschooling costs or private school tuition. The education savings account program was passed last year and began accepting applicants in January. House Bill 199 sponsor Rep. Ocean Andrew, R-Laramie, called the 2024 ESA program much too narrow. His new bill proposed to offer up to $7,000 per student regardless of a family's economic needs. Along with making the program universal, in its original form, the bill dropped: the preschool component, a requirement that participating students take statewide assessments or similar nationwide tests and a requirement that providers be certified by the Department of Education. The bill has been transformed substantially as it travelled through the Legislature; some 26 amendments were brought, including 11 that passed. Along with changing the name from the Wyoming Freedom Scholarship Act, the final version reinstated the assessment requirements, the provider certification and the inclusion of pre-K, though families have to show income need to qualify for that portion. It spurred much debate as it traveled through the body, triggering discussion on the state of public education in Wyoming, the constitutionality of the program and the importance of early childhood education. Many lawmakers asked what the rush is, given that Wyoming's existing ESA program is only two months old. Those who say the new law is unconstitutional cite Article 7, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution, which reads: 'Nor shall any portion of any public school fund ever be used to support or assist any private school, or any school, academy, seminary, college or other institution of learning controlled by any church or sectarian organization or religious denomination whatsoever.' When Gordon partially vetoed the education savings account bill last year, he pointed specifically to constitutional concerns when he narrowed eligibility to families at or below 150% of the federal poverty level. That referenced the constitutional language that prohibits the state from giving money to individuals 'except for the necessary support of the poor.' On Tuesday, he said he's taken the last year to consider the issue, 'and I realize that that will be sort of handled by our courts' if the question is asked. 'In the meantime, I think it's important to remember that we have all been working to try to expand school choice, and this gives that opportunity for parents.' This comes less than a week after a judge ruled in favor of the Wyoming Education Association and eight school districts in a court case that's anticipated to have major implications for the state. Laramie County District Court Judge Peter Froelicher ruled the Wyoming Legislature has been unconstitutionally underfunding the state's public schools and ordered the state to fix that. House Bill 199 drew loads of attention — both from local advocacy groups vowing to fight it and from out-of-state groups lobbying for its passage. President Donald Trump even weighed in when he gave kudos to Senate President Bo Biteman for helping to advance the legislation. 'This would be an incredible Victory for Wyoming students and families,' Trump wrote on Truth Social while the measure was still awaiting Senate votes. 'Every Member of the Wyoming Senate should vote for HB 199. I will be watching!' In Wyoming, the hard-right House Freedom Caucus celebrated the signing of the bill, crediting Rep. Andrew for its success. 'Finally, we can say that in Wyoming, we support students, not systems,' a Wyoming Freedom Caucus Facebook post read. Many in the detractor camp, meanwhile, decried Gordon's action. 'Particularly in light of the extraordinary opposition to the voucher program by the majority of Wyoming's residents, we are disappointed by Gov. Gordon's decision to sign HB199 into law,' the Wyoming Education Association said in a statement. The association also questioned the decision's wisdom following so closely on the heels of the strongly worded ruling. 'The district court's ruling from only days ago confirmed that the state is not funding public education to the level as it is required, and the choice to take taxpayer dollars to support a voucher program is a curiously poor decision,' the WEA said. The organization warned that similar laws in other states have proven these types of programs to be vulnerable to waste, fraud and abuse and ineffective in improving student performance. 'Unconstitutional universal voucher programs serve as a taxpayer-funded welfare handout to wealthy families whose communities have access to such schools and whose students already attend private schools,' the WEA said. During his press conference Tuesday, Gordon characterized the ESA bill passed last year as a generic program. 'I know it's a big national agenda item,' he said of school choice. 'But it's important to remember that this is Wyoming's way of doing it. This was created and crafted by people here in Wyoming, not somebody from out of state … and it really meets the needs specifically of Wyoming.' Reporter Maggie Mullen contributed to this article. This story was originally published at WyoFile
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Three more states join trend of passing universal school choice
Three states joined 11 others in passing universal school choice legislation. Republican Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon has signed a bill that expanded a school choice program to universal eligibility. The Steamboat Legacy Scholarship Act will provide $7,000 for students in non-public schools to be used for tuition or tutoring in the 2025-2026 school year. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Ocean Andrew, said that the signing of the bill marks a "major victory for Wyoming families with the signing of HB 199 into law." Department Of Education Launches 'Enddei' Portal For Parents, Students, Teachers To Report Discrimination "This ESA program is a huge step forward in expanding educational freedom and ensuring that parents — not the government — have the ultimate say in their children's education," Andrew said. Read On The Fox News App Idaho recently passed universal school choice legislation a week ago. Republican Gov. Brad Little signed the Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit into law. The measure will provide up to $5,000 per student for qualified expenses related to their education, including tuition and fees for enrollment. "With the passage of the $50 million Parental Choice Tax Credit program, Idaho boasts even more abundant schooling options for Idaho students and families. Little added that "Idaho has become the first state to offer education freedom from kindergarten through career." University Of Minnesota Students Rail Against College Leadership Over Wishy-washy Stand On Ice Tennessee's legislature on January 20 passed Republican Gov. Bill Lee's universal private school voucher bill, which saw opposition from some rural GOP lawmakers. "I've long believed we can have the best public schools and give parents a choice in their child's education, regardless of income or ZIP code," Lee said in a statement. The Education Freedom Act gives students $7,296 each to cover education expenses and private school tuition. Lee signed the bill into law on February 12 with hopes of starting the program in the 2025-2026 school year. The three states passing universal school choice legislation is part of a trend of red states expanding education options for children. Lawmakers hope to provide education savings accounts for all K-12 students to use taxpayer dollars to have alternatives to local public schools such as charter schools, private schools, and homeschooling. Tennessee, Idaho and Wyoming are states with many constituents who live in rural areas. Rural schools tend to face funding challenges due to low enrollment and scarce resources. Rural Republicans, once obstacles to school choice measures, have shifted to supporting the policy. "This year's momentum on the education freedom front should put to bed the myth that rural voters don't want school choice," said Corey DeAngelis, a senior fellow at the American Culture Project. "Rural states are leading the school choice revolution. Three states have passed universal school choice this year, and each of them – Idaho, Tennessee, and Wyoming – are ranked in the top 20 most rural states in the nation based on Census Bureau data." Texas has been facing an uphill battle as Republican lawmakers representing schools in rural areas were at odds with Gov. Greg Abbott's school choice vision. Lawmakers, including Republicans, share concerns that education savings accounts could drain funds from public schools, which are critical for schools in rural districts. Abbott recently announced that he has enough votes to pass a school choice bill after several years of struggling to unify Republicans to support school choice. A total of 14 states passed universal school choice. Indiana's "Choice Scholarship Program" allows children in low- and middle-income families to receive vouchers to attend private schools. It turned out that 98% of families are eligible, making it nearly article source: Three more states join trend of passing universal school choice
Fox News
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Three more states join trend of passing universal school choice
Three states joined 11 others in passing universal school choice legislation. Republican Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon has signed a bill that expanded a school choice program to universal eligibility. The Steamboat Legacy Scholarship Act will provide $7,000 for students in non-public schools to be used for tuition or tutoring in the 2025-2026 school year. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Ocean Andrew, said that the signing of the bill marks a "major victory for Wyoming families with the signing of HB 199 into law." "This ESA program is a huge step forward in expanding educational freedom and ensuring that parents — not the government — have the ultimate say in their children's education," Andrew said. Idaho recently passed universal school choice legislation a week ago. Republican Gov. Brad Little signed the Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit into law. The measure will provide up to $5,000 per student for qualified expenses related to their education, including tuition and fees for enrollment. "With the passage of the $50 million Parental Choice Tax Credit program, Idaho boasts even more abundant schooling options for Idaho students and families. Little added that "Idaho has become the first state to offer education freedom from kindergarten through career." Tennessee's legislature on January 20 passed Republican Gov. Bill Lee's universal private school voucher bill, which saw opposition from some rural GOP lawmakers. "I've long believed we can have the best public schools and give parents a choice in their child's education, regardless of income or ZIP code," Lee said in a statement. The Education Freedom Act gives students $7,296 each to cover education expenses and private school tuition. Lee signed the bill into law on February 12 with hopes of starting the program in the 2025-2026 school year. The three states passing universal school choice legislation is part of a trend of red states expanding education options for children. Lawmakers hope to provide education savings accounts for all K-12 students to use taxpayer dollars to have alternatives to local public schools such as charter schools, private schools, and homeschooling. Tennessee, Idaho and Wyoming are states with many constituents who live in rural areas. Rural schools tend to face funding challenges due to low enrollment and scarce resources. Rural Republicans, once obstacles to school choice measures, have shifted to supporting the policy. "This year's momentum on the education freedom front should put to bed the myth that rural voters don't want school choice," said Corey DeAngelis, a senior fellow at the American Culture Project. "Rural states are leading the school choice revolution. Three states have passed universal school choice this year, and each of them – Idaho, Tennessee, and Wyoming – are ranked in the top 20 most rural states in the nation based on Census Bureau data." Texas has been facing an uphill battle as Republican lawmakers representing schools in rural areas were at odds with Gov. Greg Abbott's school choice vision. Lawmakers, including Republicans, share concerns that education savings accounts could drain funds from public schools, which are critical for schools in rural districts. Abbott recently announced that he has enough votes to pass a school choice bill after several years of struggling to unify Republicans to support school choice. A total of 14 states passed universal school choice. Indiana's "Choice Scholarship Program" allows children in low- and middle-income families to receive vouchers to attend private schools. It turned out that 98% of families are eligible, making it nearly universal.
